The minister for Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, on Thursday said he never accused National Assembly members of collecting 60 percent of the contracts at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) as the commission was yet to fully implement any budget since the commencement of the 9th National Assembly.
Akpabio stated in a letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, read on the floor of the House during plenary, shortly after the lower chamber resolved to sue the minister for criminal perjury and civil defamation.
At the commencement of plenary on Thursday, Gbajabiamila had said sequel to the failure of the minister to publish names of members of the National Assembly whom he alleged have collected 60 percent of contracts in the NDDC within 48 hours from Tuesday, he had directed the Clerk of the House to engage the services of legal counsel, instruct them to initiate a criminal complaint of perjury against the minister and explore the possibility of a civil defamation suit against the minister.
Akpabio had on Monday, while appearing before the House of Representatives Committee on NDDC investigating financial malfeasance in the commission, alleged that 60 percent of contracts in NDDC went to federal legislators, forcing the House on Tuesday to issue him a 48-hour ultimatum to publish the names of members of the 9th National Assembly who got 60 percent of contracts from NDDC.
But in his letter read Thursday by Gbajabiamila, the minister said the only reference he made to 60 percent during his presentation before the NDDC committee on Monday was in response to a question by a member of the committee.
He said the member had sought to know whether a medical director could serve as an executive director project and that he (Akpabio) had responded that since 50-60 percent of NDDC contracts were medical related, there was nothing wrong in a medical director serving in that capacity.
Akpabio said that the executive director project of the NDDC forwarded to him a list of 19 old contracts which the chairman of the House Committee on NDDC insisted must be paid before the 2020 budget of the commission is passed.
He also said that the NDDC has not executed any contract under the 2020 budget since it has not been passed, while the 2019 budget was passed in April and has not been implemented.
“The Director Projects forwarded to me 19 old contracts amounting to N9 billion which the NDDC Chairman in the House insist the IMC pay for,” Akpabio said in the letter.
“As a former Minority Leader of the 8th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I shall forever hold the ideals of the National Assembly and will not make the entire document public which I got from the lead forensic auditor in confidence.
“As to the reference to 60 per cent of contracts, the Investigative Committee refused to give me opportunity to explain that; I was responding to a question by a member of the Committee.
“Permit me to explain that any reference to 60 percent during the investigative hearing was in answer to a question by a member of the Committee as to whether or not, a Medical Doctor could act as Executive Director project which I answered in affirmative:
“That the greatest project in the world today is COVID-19, which is medical in nature; further more, I am made to understand that 60 per cent of NDDC yearly budget are medical in nature, therefore is better for a Medical Doctor to serve as the Executive Director Projects,” he said.
The Speaker referred the letter to the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges.
